Grain-drier.



No, 723,680. PATENTED lvlzuauz xl, 1903..

J. G.,KING & J. EDWARDS.

GRAIN DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1902.

30 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m 'l "'iu 1m? 7 I Ina anion No. 728,680. PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

J. G. KING & J. EDWARDS.

GRAIN DRIER.

AiPLIOATION FILED AUG. 20, 1902.

10 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 I l0 W In I lm enior/i NORRIS PETERS c0 moraumnu wnsmumou n c I l A V 7 N A No.723,680. "PATENT'ED MAR.24,1903."

JnG. KING s; J. EDWARDS.

GRAIN DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1902.

J 3'0 MODEL. QSHEETE-SHEET 3,v

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH GOODWIN KING AND JOHN'EDWARDS, OF PORT ARTHUR, CANADA; SAID EDWARDS ASSIGNOR TO SAID KING.

DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 7 23,680, dated March 24, 1903.

I Application filed August 20,1902. Serial No. 120,366. No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that We, JosEPH GOODWIN KING and JOHN EDwARns,-subjects of the King of GreatBritain,residing at Port Arthu r,

in the district of Algoma, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Driers, of

which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in to grain-driers; and the object of the invention is to devise a drier having its parts so arranged as to prevent the accumulation of dust and be readily removable for cleaning and repairing purposes and which will utilize I5 the air forced amidst the grain to the utmost extent and whereby the diminution of moisture can be determined at any time by a scale registering outside the drier; and it consists, essentially, of. a plurality of upright screens in suitable frames surrounding or partially surrounding a confining air-space, a succession of downwardly-inclining slats laterally arranged from top to bottom of the screens, a plurality of openings in theframes for the ingress and egress of' the air, a weighingscale supporting the drier, and suitable hoppers, passages, and discharge-openings for the grain, the various parts being construct-- ed in detail as hereinafter more particularly described.

Figure 1 is a general perspective view, partially in section, showing a set of driers for hot and for cold blasts of air. Fig. 2 is a ver-.'

tical section of several screens. Fig. 3 is a perspective face view of a screen complete.

Fig. 4. is an elevation of two screens, showing the middle air-chamber in section. Fig. 5 is a perspective back View of a portion of a screen. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the upper drier with the hopper removed. Fig.

7 is a detail of the shutter-slides.

Like characters of reference indicate corre-' edges of the frames in closely abut one another and are provided with the openings 6 at intervals in the inner sides and leading from the middle space 61 and the smaller openingsf'at intervals in the outer sides. It must be understood that the openings 6 andf are not directly opposite one to the other in the sides of the frames 1).

g is a framework inclosing the rows 0 and having the opening h at one end and a blank wall at the other, leaving the sidescompletely open.

11 is a blower-fan, havinga flaring mouthj, which protrudes through the opening h. The blower 7; while in operation sends a continuous current of heated air to the middle space 61.

It represents coils designed to supply heated air to the blower 2'.

Z is a hopper over the framework'g and having the openings m in the flooring directly over the rows 0.

n is a shield located between the rows of openings m and designed to prevent the grain 7o falling into the space d.

' 0 represents shutter-slides controlled and operated by the levers p and sliding in suitable ways over or under the openings m, which it opens or closes, as desired. The levers p are pivotally secured to the arms g from the wall of the hopper and connected to the shutter-slides by the arms 8 represents slats depending from the face of the screens a and at their ends fitted into the sides of the frames 12, forming acute angles with the screens a, otherwise providing a sheltered angular space 10 under each inclined slat.

t represents pins or struts designed to strengthen the slats sin their angular position to the screens.

u represents inclosed spaces between the screens a and are partially filled in by the slats s.

o is a Weighing-scale which has its balancing rods and arms projectingunderthe rows of screens 0. This mechanism need not be described. here, as it will be of ordinary type well known to all makers of scales for hop- 95 per and like purposes.

10 represents shutterslides designed to close and open the outlets at the bottom ends of the spaces to.

a: represents levers controlling the shutte.r slides wand similarly arranged to the leversp.

y represents inclosed passages immediately under the rows 0.

2 represents rows of screens of similar construction and arrangement to the rows cand located under the passages y.

3 is a blower protrudingin to the passage 4 and designed to send a current of cool air therein and on around and amidst the grain.

5 represents shutterslides designedto open and close the outlets at the bottom ends of the spaces 7.

8 represents levers controlling the shutter- I slides 5.

9 is a chute beneath the spaces 7 and leading to a bin or other receptacle.

Having describedthe various parts in detail, we shall now more particularly explain the operation thereof.

The hopper Z is filled with grain, and the levers q are pulled out, so as to throw over the shutter-slides and allow the grain to fall through the various openings m into the spaces 24. The blower 2' sends a continuous current of heated air into the space d, which finds its way through the openings ethe only outlets from the said space. The openings e are located in the sides of the frame in the angles formed by the slats s and the screens a and lead into the sheltered angular spaces under the slats, the other end of the said spaces being closed by the sides of the frames. The

airith us entering circulates generally through-- out the spaces u, as the perforated screens ofler every facility for such circulation. The grain which has fallen from the hopper Z fills up the spaces u, except those angular spaces formed by the sheltereslats 8. These remain free for the entrance and exit of the air; but in order for the air to find the outlet-openingsfit must pass amidst the grain, as the said openingsflead from difierent angular spaces than where the inlet-openings e are located. The continuous pressure of air through the openings e renders it absolutely necessary for the air which has found its way into the spaces 11 to circulate amidst the grain and find the outlet-openings, which being small, as described, the exit of the air is somewhat delayed, thus allowing it ample time to gather all the moisture in the grain and eventually pass out of the said openings laden with moisture which it has absorbed. In order to determine the precise time at which the diminution in moisture in the grain is sufficient, the scale 1 is provided, and as the hopper of the scale is formed by the upper drier all the grain contained in the said drier will be weighed and such weight registered outside. It will be thus seen that as the moisture is being reduced by the influx of Warm air the weight on the scale will be lessened from time to time, and this reduction in weight can be readily seen at any time, and as soon as such reduction is sufficient the shutter-slides w are thrown open by means of the levers a: and the grain allowed to drop through the passages y into the spaces 7 between the rows of screens in the lower drier. A current of cool air is then sent into the middle space in the lower drier by means of the blower 3 and circulates throughout the grain precisely the same as the warm air, as described herein. The shutter-slides 5 are now thrown over by means of the levers 8, allowing the grain to fall from the spaces 7 into the chute 9, where it is carried oif to any point or receptacle, as desired.

The accumulation of dust so common in knowndriers is absolutely prevented in our device, for it will be seen that the great slant of the slats and the falling of the grain thereon from time to time absolutely prevent any accumulation of dust at any point thereon. In fact, it may be described as a clean shutter-surface, the slats of which are utilized in providing sheltered spaces to which the grain cannot rise. Thus there is no part where it is possible for any dust to rest. The facilities offered by on r device for repairing must be also emphasized, as it is an extremely simple matter at any time to repair or replace one or more of the slats.

The arrangement of our driers asshownin the accompanying illustrations will not be strictly adhered to, as the conformation of the rows of screens may be entirelydifferen t. For instance, it is possible that a ring of screens maybe desirable, having the air coming up from beneath, yet this and many other forms are merelya question of mechanical construction, and the essential features of our invention will not be aifected by such difierent arrangements.

The description of the operation of the device herein given is intended to convey the impression that the driers are filled up and the grain dried before being opened; but it must be understood that the operation may be made continuous,- and by regulating the feeds and discharges in such a manner as to allow time for the grain to be dried in its course through it will thus be seen that instead of the process being intermittent it may be made continuous.

What we claim as our invention is 1. In a grain-drier, a frame, having a plurality tically-arranged screen therein, a succession of slats extending across and fixedly attached to the screens, and obliquely set, an airchamber adjacent one side of said frame, and means for supplying air thereto, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a grain-drier, a plurality of frames, of one or more frames adjacent to the confinof openings in each of the sides, a verlocated adjacent to the confined air-space,

and having a series of openings at intervals in the sides thereof, an air-chamber communicating with the openings in one side of the frame, and means for supplying air thereto,

' as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a grain-drier, one or more frames arranged in proximity to the confining air-space, a plurality of screens arranged therein, a succession of slats attached to the face of thescreensobliquely set, held therefrom by a plurality of pins or struts, said frames having a series of openings, arranged at intervals in the side thereof, in the angular corner formed by a screen and a slat, and havinga series of lesser openings in the opposite side arranged at different intervals from the first series of openings, and means for supplying a current of air to said first-named openings, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a device of the class described, ascreen vertically arranged, a succession of obliquelyset slats extending from the face of the screen laterally, a frame designed to inclose the said screen and slats, and having a series of openings in the side, a series of lesser openings in the opposite side of the frame and means for supplying a current of air to said first-named openings, as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a device of the class described, a plurality of frames securely held together, and having a series of openings leading through the inner sides, and a series of lesser openings leading through the outer sides, a screen or sieve in each of the said frames, a succession of slats obliquely set and attached to the faces of the screens laterally arranged from top to bottom, and means for supplyinga current of air to said first-named openings, as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a device of the class described, a plurality of frames securely held together, and having a series of openings in the inner sides, and a series of lesser openings in the outer sides located out of alinement with the aforesaid openings, a plurality of screens arranged vertically in the frames equidistant one from the other, a succession of obliquely-set slats laterally arranged on the face of each screen from top to bottom and extending part way across the space between the screens, and means for supplying a current of air to said first-named openings, as and for the purpose specified.

S. In a device of the class described, a plurality of frames in upper and lower series having-a series of openings through the inner sides and a series of lesser openings through the outer sides, a succession of slats obliquely set from the faces of the screens and firmly secured thereto, a hopper located above the aforesaid frames provided with closable openings over the screens, and having suitable discharge-openings from the up per series of frames means of closing said openings, a casing connecting the upper and lower series of frames, air-chambers communicating with said first-named openings, and means for supplying currents of air to said chambers, as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at Port Arthur this 25th day of July, 1902.

JOSEPH GOODWIN KING. JOHN EDWARDS. Witnesses:

W. F. LANGWORTHY, E. S. RUTLEDGE. 

